Casing machine



y 1956 A. DONALD ETAL 2,746,226

CASING MACHINE Filed April 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l m/VEA/TUR 14L EXA/Vflffi 0004420 ZEOIVARD Mc 6/H0/V i rm/war y 1956 A. DONALD ETAL 2,746,226

CASING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 25. 1950 Mum/ran:

36 ALEXANDER 001mm 43 lav/MRO Med/HON 43 H W M ATTORNEY United States Patent CASING MACHINE Alexander Donald, Woodside, and Leonard M cGihon, San Leandro, Calif., assignors to Anthony R. Silva, San Jose, Calif.

Application April 25, 1950, Serial No. 157,924 8 Claims. (Cl. 53-391) The present invention relates to container handling and easing apparatus of a character disclosed and claimed in the copending applications of Anthony R. Silva, Serial No. 37,291, filed July 8, 1948, now Patent No. 2,692,713, and Serial No. 101,575, filed June 27, 1949, now Patent No. 2,646,197. This invention relates more particularly to a casing machine of the above character which provides a gentle depositing action of a case of containers onto the discharge conveyor.

It is the general object of the invention to provide a casing machine of the above character in which the containers are placed in a suitable array for casing, the inverted case is placed over the containers, and the case with the containers therein are inverted during depositing on a discharge conveyor with means for effecting a gentle depositing action of the case of containers on the conveyor to avoid any breakage or label mutilation.

A further object is to provide a casing machine of the above character in which a plurality of container support tables or trays which are brought successively in position to receive a feed of containers which operate successively in conjunction with a single depositing control means.

The above and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is an elevational view partially in section of the casing end of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the casing end of the a paratus.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating certain of the controls for the bottle feed.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the pivotal mounting of the tables and the cooperation of the depositing control arm latch with the table latch elements.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure l but showing the table in operation as it moves to deposit a case on the discharge conveyor.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 5 but showing the parts as positioned when a case has been delivered to the discharge conveyor.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the rotary casing table with the associated case depositing elements.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the relation of the latch on the control arm to the latch on the table in a position of the parts corresponding to that shown in Figure 6.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the machine includes a suitable belt conveyor 10 which is trained about a driving drum 11 suitably journalled upon the frame 12 and driven continuously from a conventional form of drive mechanism 13, indicated schematically in the drawings. The frame supports a plurality of separating partitions 14 above the conveyor 10 so that four rows of containers, such as bottles 15, are fed thereto through suitable dividing mechanism of the character disclosed in the said applications. Adjacent the end of the conveyor 10 there 2,746,226 Patented May 22, 1956 is provided a transfer plate 16 on which the endrnost bottles are received and the bottles are normally restrained at the end of each row by a plurality of stop fingers 17 as disclosed in said applications which stop fingers are pivoted at 18 (Figures 1 and 3) and operated through a linkage 19 from a manual control handle 20 having a control extension 21 extending to a cyclic clutch mechanism of the drive mechanism 13. Preferably the conveyor 10 and the transfer plate 16 are placed at a slight inclination so that the leftmost edge of the transfer plate 16, as viewed in Figure 1, for example, is higher than any portion of the conveyor 10 to produce a slight tilt of the bottles 15 thereon toward the right.

The casing mechanism per se comprises a rotary table casing unit including a pair of tables or trays 22 and 22 of similar construction and spaced 180 apart with respect to their common support shaft 23. As disclosed in said applications, each of the units of the casing units or trays, unit 22, for example, comprises a plurality of vertically arranged strips 24 mounted on a base plate 25 and terminating at an inner stop plate 26 adjacent to the shaft 23. The vertical plates 24 provide partitions which form four elongated pockets to receive four rows of three bottles each. The axis of the shaft 23 is offset with respect to the respective trays 22 and 22 and is also positioned with respect to the upper surface of the conveyor 10 and the transfer plate 16 to place the adjacent tray 22 at a slight angle thereto so that the bottles 15 on the tray have a slight tilt to the left as viewed in Figure 1. In this position of the parts, the weight of the tray unit presented to the conveyor 10 is supported by a spring-urged latch 30.

From the above description, it will be seen that twelve cans or bottles can be fed onto the cooperating support tray upon movement of the fingers 17 to inactive position so that the drive of the conveyor through the bottles 15 will force these bottles onto the aligned tray 22, for example, and up against the stop 26 thereof which, if desired, may be of resilient material.

The bott es on the tray 22 are then in the proper array for depositing of a case 31 thereover, as seen in Figure l, for example. It will be noted that the relative tilted positioning of the bottles 15 on the transfer plate 16 and the tray 22 provides a gap for insertion of the case. Each tray has associated therewith a case support means in the form of a pair of inclined brackets 32 extending upwardly from adjacent the stop 26 but spaced therefrom to provide clearance for the adjacent wall and flap of the case 31. Subsequently, as the tray 22 is revolved counterclockwise from the position shown in Figure 1 the case '31 with the bottles therein will rest against the support brackets or case support 32 as seen, for example, in Figure 5.

In order to provide a gentle depositing of the case upon an adjacent discharge conveyor, as shown, for example, at 33, a movable container support or depositing control means is provided for successive operation with the trays 22 and 22' as they are active, with means provided for in elfect locking the movable container support to the tray to move downward therewith as well as supporting the case so that it is generally deposited on the discharge conveyor 33. For this purpose, a pair of arms 36 (Figures 1 and 2) are pivoted freely on the shaft 23 and are provided with counterweights 37 at their lowermost ends so that the arms 36 are normally balanced in the position of the parts shown in Figure 1. The upper ends of the arms 36 are connected by a transverse rod 38 on which a tubular case-engaging sleeve 39 is mounted. As seen in Figure 5, the arms 36 and the sleeve 39 are positioned for cooperation with a case after the table has turned approximately from its home or bottle receiving position and a drive connection is provided hetween the container support arms36 and the tray supporting shaft 23 so that the arm 36, upon which' the weight of the case is supported, can not travel ahead of the tray in moving downwardly to deposit the case 31 on the conveyor 33. For this purpose, each arm 36 carries a spring-urged latch 41 (Figure 4) in a latch housing 42. Each latch '41 (Figure 4) is slottedto receive a stop screw 43 spring 44. 3

As seen in Figure 4, the upper face of thelatch 41, as positioned in its normalposition, is beveled'for cooperation with the beveled face of a fixed latchelement 46 carried by the tray support. When the tray with the case thereon has travelledto the position shown/in Figure 5,i. e., to the dotted line; position of thellatch 46 in Figure 4, the respective latches 46 have moved beneath the respective latches 41 at each side ofthefcontainer support so that the arms 36 and their connecting shaft 38 cannot move downwardly faster thanthe' rate of travel of the tray 22 under control of its power, drive. The continued counter-clockwise movement of the tray 22 moves the parts to position shown in Figure 6 when the sleeve 39 is received in a po clret'33a of the belt mecha nism and when the case 31 is supported on the belt 33..

for discharge thereby. In this condition of the parts, after the case 31 has been removed from above the sleeve 39, the arms 36 are free to return under influence of their weighted ends to the position shown in'Figur'e' 1' where the weighted ends engage suitable rubber stops 47.

In operation of the machine with the tray 22 positioned as shown in Figure 1, the latch fingers 17 are in inactive position, as shown in Figure 3, and the cyclic clutch is also inactive so that the containers 15 are fed onto the tray 22 and a case 31 is placed thereover. At this time lever 20 is operated to trip the clutch drive and thefingers 17 are returned to position shown in Figure 1 to restrain further feeding of bottles. ment of the loaded tray 22 with the containers thereon and the case 31 placed over the containers is begun}: As the rotary movement 'of the tray 22 progresses, the case tilts until it rests on the supports 32, and then untilits bottom wall engages theother container support in the form of the sleeve 39 and the arms 36. With this condition of the parts, the latch fingers 46 have moved ahead of the latch fingers 41, as shown in dotted lines in Figure and is under the urgency of a l ing means by table for alignment with said container supplying means to receive an array of containers in upright position there? from, a case support extending substantially at right angles" to said table, other case supporting means pivoted co axially with said table for cooperation therewith in handlinga case of containers during movement of said table, and means for establishing a one-way drive connection. 1 between said other case supporting means and said table 1 n a to prevent overtravel offsaid other case supporting means by a case of bottles with respect to said rotary table.

3. In acasing machine having means for supplying parallel rows .of containers in upright position, a rotary table having a plurality of trays for successive alignment v with said container supplying means to receive an array; ot' containers in upright position therefrom, a case sup-",j port extending substantially at right angles to each of";

said trays, other case supporting means pivoted coaxially and means for establishing a one-way drive connection between said other case supportingmeans and said table before engagement of'a case on said table with said other A counterclockwise move- I 4, and the rotary movement of the tray assumes control I of the downward movement of the arms 36. Subsequently, the parts move together until the case is deposited on the discharge conveyor 33, as shown in Figure 6, when t the rotary movement of the trays '22 and 22' continues for the remainder of the half cycle to place the tray 22' in operative relation to the conveyor 10 and the case 31 being moved by the discharge conveyor 33 moves from above the sleeve 39 so that the arms 36 can return to the position shown in Figure 1, thus completing a cycle of operation.

While we have shown and described certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that the invention is capable of variation and modification from the form shown so that its scope should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

We claim:

1. In a casing machine having means for supplying parallel rows of containers in upright position, a rotary table having a plurality of trays for successive alignment with said container supplying means to receive an array of' containers in upright position therefrom, a case sup-i port extending substantially at right angles to each of said trays, other case supporting means pivoted coaxially with said trays for successive cooperation therewith in handling a case of containers during movement of said table, and means for establishing a one-way drive connection between said other case supporting means and said table to prevent overtravel of said other case supportsupporting means to prevent overtravel of said other supporting means by a case of bottles with respect to said I rotary table.

4. In a. casing of containers in upright position therefrom, a case sup} port extending substantially at right angles to each of said trays, other case supporting means pivoted coaxially positioned in the path of movement of a case on a tray, J

and means for establishing a one-way drive connection between said other case supporting means and said table before engagement of a case on said table with said other supporting means to prevent overtravel of said other supporting means by a case of bottles with respect to said rotary table, said drive connection establishing means comprising a pair of cooperating latch elements carried respectively bysaid table and said other supporting 5. In a casing machine having means for supplying parallel rows of upright containers, a rotary table having a plurality of trays for successive alignment in horizontal position with said container supplying means, each tray when disposed in said horizontal position being adapted to receive a rectangular array of containers in upright position from said supplying means, the axis of rotation of said rotary table being disposed substantially in the plane of a tray in said horizontal position, a case supporting surface 'on said table for each of said trays and extending substantially at right angles thereto, said case supporting surface being disposed substantially vertically when the associated tray is in said horizontal position, means for operating said rotary table to lift a tray with the rectangular array of bottles and the case thereon away from said horizontal position, thereby separating said rectangular array of containers from said parallel rows of containers, and other case supporting means pivoted coaxially with said trays and mounted for oscillatory' movement for successive cooperation therewith and positioned to engage the bottom of the case inserted over said rectangular array of bottles to control depositing of the case of bottles in inverted position after movement of said rotary table to invert the case of bottles.

for supplying I machine having means for supplying parallel rows .of containers in upright position, a rotary," .table having a plurality of trays for successive alignment with said container supplying means to receive an array 1 6. In a casing machine as recited in claim 5 in which said other supporting means has a rest position along the rotary path of travel of a case on a tray.

7. In a casing machine as recited in claim 5 in which the container supplying means and a tray in said horizontal position are relatively tilted to provide divergent surfaces as viewed from the top thereof whereby an opening is provided between said rectangular array of containers on said tray and the adjacent containers on said supplying means, said opening providing for inserlion of an outer wall portion of a case in said opening.

8. In a casing machine having means for supplying parallel rows of containers in upright position, a rotary casing structure having a plurality of container lifting elements for successive alignment with said container supplying means to lift a rectangular array of containers with a case inserted thereover, a case support pivoted co- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,243,406 Hawthorne Oct. 16, 1917 1,519,154 Mitton Dec. 16, 1924 1,679,402 Brown Aug. 7, 1928 1,773,654 Van Cleaf Aug. 19, 1930 1,821,111 Mudd Sept. 1, 1931 1,874,393 Vignaux et a]. Aug. 30, 1932 2,431,265

Madsen et'al Nov. 18, 1947 

